Grain loader



M. MAYRATH GRAIN LOADER Sept. 27, 1949.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001:. 7, 1946 INVENTOR. 1(artir1 )(fizymth.

Sept. 27, 1949. M. MAYRATH 2,483,290

GRAIN LOADER Filed Oct. 7, 194a :s Sheets-Sheet 2 -g a a? f- 7%;? *v v v v NVE'NTOR. mil??? yrath.

- ATI'O R N IYI M. MAYRATH GRAIN LOADER Sept. 27, 1949.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 7, 1946 ATTD RN EYI Patented Sept. 27, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRAIN LOADER Martin Mayrath, Dodge City, Kans. Application October 7, 1946, Serial No. 701.771 13 Claims. (Cl. 198233) My present invention relates to an improved fluent material loader and more specifically to a screw conveyor and supporting and operating structure therefor whereby the loader of my invention may be employed to load material, such as grains, from freight cars, piles, and the like, to storage containers, or trucks.

Generally the loader includes a screw conveyor housed within a tube and adjustably mounted upon a support upon which is carried the motive unit for the screw, together with other accessories hereinafter described.

It is an object 01 my invention to provide a loader of this general type in which the inclination, or height of the discharge end, of the screw conveyor can readily be adjusted without interfering with the normal position 01' the driving engine or motor. secondarily, it is an object of the invention to provide such an adjustment that enables the intake end, or lower end, of the screw conveyor to be located somewhat above or below the horizontal line passing beneath the wheels or other main supports of the apparatus, yet without requiring the upright carriage or the driving engine to be tilted on level.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an arrangement 01' screw conveyor pivot means so related to the mounting elements for the engine or motor that adjustments oi inclination of the conveyor tube may be carried out without involving any readjustment of the relationship between the engine, or its drive pulley, to the driven portion 01' the screw, herein exemplifled by a driven pulley. An ancillary obiect oi the invention is to provide for minor adjustments between the engine or motor and the driven pulley, such as those required by wear or stretch of the pulley belt.

Still another object is to provide a loader of this type with which can be connected an auxfliary feeding conveyor adapted to move a continuous supply of grain or the like to a position in which it can be picked up by the main or elevating conveyor. I provide this feeding conveyor with a specially designed partial housing or shroud which operates to ensure that the efiectiveness or this feeding conveyor is maintained at a very high level, as compared with prior devices of this type.

In the accom nying drawings I have illustrated on complete example of the physical em-- bodiment of my invention according to the best mode I have thus far devised, but it will be understood that various changes and alterations may be made in the exemplified structure within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the loader of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the pulleys for driving the screw.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the loader showing a modified support.

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of an auxiliary feed conveyor.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view thereof.

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of an auxiliary feed conveyor showing an alternate shape of cover.

Fig. 8 is a front elevational view showing the feed conveyor attached to the loader.

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view thereof.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section of a modified form of engine support.

Fig. 11 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 12 is a front elevational view.

Referring now to the drawings I have illustrated the present preferred embodiment of my invention as comprising a tube 2 having an upper discharge spout l and housing a screw conveyor 6. The lower end of the tube is formed with a bearing bracket 8 for the shaft IU of the screw 6, and on the upper end of this shaft I provide a pulley I 2. This pulley is driven through pulleys it and I B which are positioned tangentially oi the pitch circle of the drive pulley i2 by belt it from the drive wheel 20 of motor 22. The motor is supported on bracket 24 having a slide tube 26 on the post 28 and the latter carries an upper bracket 30 for a hoist device which permits the vertical adjustment of the motor and support. The tube 2 is supported by a pivot on the slide tube 2 6. It will be observed that, since both the tube 2 and the engine are carried by the same vertically slidable tube 26, vertical adjustments do not alter the relationship between drive wheel 20 and the pulleys II, it and it at the upper end of the tube, so that no change need ordinarily be made in the belting. Moreover, as the drive wheel 20 is substantially or approximately concentric with the axis of pivot arm an, changes in inclination of tube 2 resulting either from a vertical movement of slide tube 26 or from adjustments of radius rods 38 (described below), do not involve lengthening or shortening the hell; it.

Braces 32 carry axle 34 and wheels 38 stabilized 3 throughradiusrodsflhavingacommo'ncoiiar ll secured by pin 42, on the tube 2. Obviously movement of the collar along the tube will vary the anguiarity of position of the tube relative to thepostfl. Astheslidetubellisraisedor lowered on the post it the radius rods ll operate to maintain the post 28 in a vertical position.

In the modification of Fig. 4 the tube 2 is formed withanearl seouredbypivotarm ll totube II, and the axle 34 carrying wheels It is provided with outriggers 1 for wheels 8. Crossed braces H from the outriggers are secured to post ll.

A handle it on the tube I is provided for manual positioning of the lower inlet end, and a conventional tractor hitch it permits the movement of the loader from place to place.

Often it is desirable to feed the material to the loader in which case I employ a screw conveyor ll having a cover II therefor, a journal bracket II supporting the end of the screw shaft, and also a support it to maintain the screw spaced from the floor or ground. It should be noted that cover It extends to a lower level than the shaft of the screw, and preferably to a point approximately level with the bottom or lowermost reach of said screw. This ensures feeding of the entire mass of grain or other puiverulent material surrounding the screw, a large portion of which would otherwise be merely agitated without being move laterally into the intake area of the main screw I.

An arm It is secured by bolt II to the cover It and the arm Bl carrying Journal bracket I! is secured thereto by bolt I. A pulley B8 driven by belt I] from the motor 22 is carried on shaft II and the link III is secured by bolts I! to the extension 14 of tube I. If desirable, a shroud It may be used to prevent the material being moved from interfering with the driving means of the screw conveyor ll.

In Figs. 10, 11, and 12 I have shown a modifled form of the slide tube 26. A mounting strap I! has parallel portions between which are mounted supports ll. Slide collars It on the supports have studs It for attachment to and support of the motor while one collar is provided with a set screw it and handle 02 so that the motor and collars may be adjusted laterally on the supports and secured in adjusted position.

The loader of my invention with or without the described accessories will efliciently move and load fluent material such as grains, and the loader is self contained. Obviously any suitable source of power may be employed, and the supports for the motor unit may be Varied in size and shape to accommodate such units.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A loader for fluent material comprising a screw conveyor and its housing, a wheeled frame having a vertical post, a sleeve on the housing movable on the post, a motor unit on the sleeve operably connected with a screw, a pivot on the sleeve supporting the conveyor and its housing, and radius rods between the frame and the housing and adjustable along the housing to vary the angle of the housing with relation to the post.

2. A loader for fluent material comprising a screw conveyor and its housing tube, a wheeled frame having a vertical post, a sleeve pivotally secured to the housing tube and slidably mounted on the post, and a motor unit on the sleeve operably connected with the screw. I

3. A loader for fluent material comprising a screw conveyor and its housing, a wheeled frame having a vertical post, a sleeve pivotally secured to the housing and vertically movable on the post. a motor supporting frame on the sleeve, a motor unit slidably mounted on the motor supporting frame and operably connected with the screw, and radius rods between the wheeled frame and the housing and adjustable along the housing to vary the angle of the housing with relation to the post.

4. A loader for fluent material comprising a screw conveyor and its housing tube, a wheeled frame having a vertical post, a sleeve pivotally secured to the housing tube and slidably mounted on the post, a motor supporting frame on the sleeve and a motor unit slidably mounted on the motor supporting frame and operably connected with the screw.

5. A loader for fluent material comprising a screw conveyor and its housing tube, a wheeled frame having a vertical post, a sleeve pivotally secured to the housing tube and slidably mounted on the post, and a motor unit on the sleeve operably connected with the screw, said connection including a belt and pulley drive and idler wheels positioned tangentially of the pitch circles of the drive and driven pulleys.

6. A loader for fluent material comprising a screw conveyor and its housing tube, a wheeled frame having a vertical post, a sleeve pivotally secured to the housing tube and slidably mounted on the post, a motor supporting frame on the sleeve, a motor unit on the motor supporting frame slidably mounted thereon and operably connected with the screw, said connection including a belt and pulley drive and idler wheels positioned tangentially of the pitch circles of the drive and driven pulleys.

'1. A loader for fluent material comprising a conveyor screw having a housing, a wheeled frame supporting a vertical guide member, a support slidabiy engaging said guide member for vertical movement with respect thereto and having a pivotal connection with said housing substantially midway of the length thereof, and a motor unit mounted on said support.

8. A loader for fluent material comprising a conveyor screw having a housing, a wheeled frame supporting a vertical guide member, a support in vertically siidable contact with said guide member and having a pivotal connection with said housing, a motor unit mounted on said support, at least one radius rod pivotally secured at one end to said wheeled frame, and means pivotally securing the other end of said rod to said housing intermediate one end of the latter and the point of connection between said housing and sleeve.

9. The invention in accordance with claim 1 in which said wheeled frame comprises a pair of main support wheels on a common axis, wheeled outriggers connected to said frame, and support elements connecting said post with said Outriggers.

10. A grain loader comprising a wheeled framework having a vertical post, a sleeve slidably encompassing said post for vertical movement therealong, a stub axle extending laterally from said sleeve, a feed screw housing pivoted on said axle, a feed screw in said housing, and a motor mou'nt secured to said sleeve and extending laterally therefrom in a direction opposite to that oi said axle, said motor mount comprising a pair of spaced arms, a pair of parallel guide rods extending between said arms, and motor mounting elements slidably engaging said guide rods.

11. A loader for fluent material comprising a conveyor screw having a housing, a wheeled frame supporting a vertical guide member, a support slidably engaging said guide member for vertical movement with respect thereto, said housing being pivotally secured adjacent its midpoint to said support, and means on said support for receiving a motor unit for driving connection with said conveyor screw.

12. A loader for fluent material comprising a conveyor screw having a housing, a supporting frame, a vertical guide member carried by said frame, a motor support slidably engaging said guide member for vertical movement with respect thereto, a pivotal connection between said motor support and said housing intermediate the length of the latter, and means on said motor support for receiving a motor unit for driving connection with said conveyor screw.

13. A loader for fluent material comprising a conveyor screw having a housing, a supporting frame, a substantially vertical guide member carried by said frame, a support slidably engaging said guide member for vertical movement with respect thereto, a pivotal connection between said support and said housing intermediate the length of the latter, a driven pulley mounted adjacent one end of said housing and connected to drive said conveyor screw, and a driving pulley mounted substantially coaxially with said pivotal connection, whereby the distance between said driving pulley and said driven pulley is substantially independent of the pivotal relation of said housing and sai support and of the position of said support on said guide member.

MARTIN MAYRATH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

